Note-book holder.



No. 892,288. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908. F. W. MOSHER.

NOTE BOOK HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1906. RENEWED M10. 10. 1907.

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Frederick Willis Masher; Smwwtm.

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Np. 892,288. PATBNTED JUNE 30, 1908. F. W. MOSHER.

NOTE BOOK HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 190B. RENEWED DEo.1o, 1901.

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Frederick Wil'is Meeker, ZJn'oenfoz.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WILLIS MOSHER, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

NOTE-BOOK HOLDER.

Patented June 30, 1908.

Application filed January 22, 1906, Serial No. 297,359. Renewed December 10, 1907. Serial No. 405,946.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnrmnniok l/VILLIS Mosnnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Note- Book Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to note book or copy holders and it is the object thereof to provide a device for facilitating the writing of stormgraphic or other memoranda by holding the leaves of the note book flat and in such position that the writing hand is constantly supported in the position most convenient for writing.

Further objects of my invention are to facilitate the turning of the leaves of the note book, to provide means of adjustment in the holder in order that it may acconnnodate different sizes and styles of books, to provide means by which blotting of notes written in ink may be avoided, and to provide means on the holder for supporting the same and the book held, thereby in convenient position for reference in transcribing notes from the book. 7

These objects are attained by the constructions shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the holder as used for holding a flexible-covered book in. position for writing; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the holder; Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 36-50 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line y -y of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 22 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line e o of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of the holder as used with a stiff-covered book and in writing notes in ink; Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing the position of the device when used as a copy holder for transcribing; Fig. 9 is a detail bottom plan of a portion of the holder, showing one of the hinges of the reversible wire supporting frame; and Fig. 10 is a detail section on the line 11- of Fig. 2.

In the construction shown 1 provide a sheet-metal base plate 1 of which the edges 2 are downwardly flanged in order to stiffen the plate and present a more finished appearance. The plate is provided at each corner with the feet 3 formed of resilient nonabra sive material such as felt or rubber, the same being secured to the plate by clamping between the edges 2 and the tongues 4 which '11 is rotatably held by are punched from the body of the plate and turned downwardly as shown in the various views thereof in the drawings. The feet at the upper end of the plate are made slightly higher than those at the lower end, so that the plate when resting on a level surface stands at a slight incline, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7.

Adjacent the upper left hand corner of the plate 1 the cover holding tongue 5 is formed by punching from the plate, the tongue being offset or shouldered upwardly at the attached end thereof near the side of the plate, the main body of the tongue being thereby slightly raised above the base plate and extending parallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 4. At about the center of the left side of the plate is the side guide 6 which is formed by a tongue of metal punched from the body of the plate and turned upwardly therefrom, the upper tip of the tongue being bent inwardly as shown in Fig. 2%. At the lower edge of the base plate adjacent the left side thereof is placed the cover clamp comprising the [lat spring 7 one end of which is secured to the edge 2 by a rivet S, the spring extending upwardly therefrom through a slot 9 in the plate, thence curving upward over the face of the plate and the free end resting yield ingly thereon, as shown in detail in Fig. 10.

The adjustable frictionally retained leaf depressors are constructed as follows: About midway between the side guide and the upper end of the plate 1 a tongue of metal 10 is punched from the body of the plate and turned upwardly therefrom. Against the inner face of the said tongue a thin circular plate the pin 12 which passes through the tongue 10 and has the thumb knob 13 riveted on the outer end thereof. The inner end of the said knob is counterbored as shown in Fig. 5 and within the countorbore around the pin 12 is placed a small coil spring 14, thesame holding the plate 11 against the tongue 10 with sullicicnt the small block 19 having the plate 20 se-' cured to the face and the Hat spring 21. held on the back thereof by means of the rivet 22 passing through the three members as shown in Fig. 6. The edges of the plate rest on the face of the base plate 1 and the ends of the spring 21 rest yieldingly on the back of the plate, so that while the block is transversely slidable along the slot 18 it is frictionally retained in any position at which it ma be placed. On the inner end of the plate 20 is the upwardly turned tongue 23 on which. is held a rotatable plate 11 carrying a transversely extending roller 17, arranged the same as the plate, roller, etc. carried by the tongue 10 and described above.

Slightly above the center of the plate 1 and in transverse alinement across the same the tongues 24 and 24 are punched therefrom and turned downwardly to form the hinges of the extensible and reversible supporting frame. Said supporting frame is preferably formed of three pieces of wire, two of which form the hinge portion of the frame, the other piece forming the loop portion of the frame and being extensibly connected with the hinge portions. The end portions 25 of the hinge wires pass through suitable openings in the tongues 24 and 24'" and adjacent the tongues 24 have the small coil springs 26 placed over the same and retained thereon by the washers 27 and pins 28, as shown in Fig. 9. At the inner end of each of the portions 25 the wireis bent at right angles thereto andformed into a return bend 29, one leg of which is extended to form the straight wire portion 30. On the end of the straight wire portion 30 is secured a small block 31 through which slidably passes one of the straight wire portions 32, said portions 32 extending parallel with the wires 30 and carrying at their ends the blocks 33 slidable 011 the wires 30 in the same manneras the blocks 31 on the said portions 32. The said straight Wire portions 30 and 32 and slidable blocks 31 and 33 form the extensible connection above referred to. At the ends of the straight wire portions 32 opposite the blocks 33 the portions 34 are bent upwardly at an obtuse angle to the portions 32. From the upper ends of the portions 34 the wire is bent outwardly, thence upwardly and again inwardly to form,respectively, the bottom 35, sides 36 and top 37 of the rectangular loop shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7 and 8. At the ends of the openings in the plate 1 formed by punching therefrom the inner tongues 24 are the longitudinally extending slots 38 shown in Figs. 2, 8 and 9.

hen the device is used to hold a note book in position for writing therein the ends of the return bends 29 rest against the portions 39 of the plate 1, adjacent the slots 38, the return bends being held against the tongues 24 by the tension of the coil springs 26, the straight wire portions 30 and 32 extending toward the upper edge of the plate 1 and almost parallel with the face thereof, and the rectangular loop formed by the wire portions 35, 36 and 37 extending above the face of the plate, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7. When it is desired to use the device as a copy holder for transcribing notes the supporting frame is reversed as follows: The hinge wires are grasped and pulled inwardly against the tension of the springs 26 until the return bends 29 are below the slots 38 as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 9. The frame is then turned upon the hinge axis until it is in the position shown in Fig. 8, the return bends passing up through the slots 38, and at the end of the movement when the hinge wires are released the same are pulled outwardly by the springs 26 and the ends of the return bends rest against the portions 40 of the plate 1. The return bends are formed at a slight angle with the straight wire portions 30 so that when the supporting frame is in the position last mentioned it may support the holder in an easel-like position as shown in Fig. 8.

In placing a note book in the holder the transversely adjustable leaf depressor carried by the block 19 is pushed over to the right hand side of the slot 18, the depressor rollers 17 are turned up to the position shown in Fig. 5 and by dotted lines in Fig. 6, the lower end of the book cover A is inserted between the clamping spring 7 and the face of the plate 1, the tongue .5 is inserted between. the cover and leaves adjacent the bound ends thereof as shown in Fig. 1, the transversely adjustable leaf depressor is pushed along the slot 18 until the plate 11 thereon engages the right side of the book, and the depressor rollers 17 are turned down to rest lightly on the edges of the upper leaf of the book. After writing upon the exposed page from the top down to a line a little below the depressor rollers 17 the leaf is pushed up the width of a line, that portion of the leaf above the depressor rollers bowing up as shown by the dotted line a, Fig. 1. As each succeeding line is written the leaf is pushed up by the width of the line, the portion of the leaf above the depressors bowing up and occupying successively the positions shown by the dotted lines I), c, d of Fig. 1. After the initial raising of the leaf the movement thereof may be made most readily by catching the bowed portion thereof between the first and second fingers of the left hand and pulling it up step by step the width of a line, the side guide 6 preventing the leaf from twisting sidewise as is its tendency when it is so moved. Thus all but the upper end of the page is written upon when at a position between the leaf depressors and the side guide 6, the writing hand resting easily at all times upon the lower part of the book and in the position most convenient for rapid writing. Upon completing the last line upon the page a very slight movement of the leaf carries the end thereof out from under the depressor rollers and exposes the next page, very little movement of the writing hand being necessary to bring it to position to start writing upon said page, so that practically no time is lost by the writer in turning the leaves.

In writing notes with pencil in a flexiblecovered book the rectangular loop of the wire supporting frame is set to a position close to the upper edge of the plate 1 and the cover and leaves are turned back over the top of the same, as shown in Fig. 1. By supporting the used portion of the book in this manner practically all tendency of the leaves to buckle or bow up between the depressor rollers and the bound side of the book is avoided. In using a stiff-covered book for pencil notes the supporting frame is left in the same position, the cover of the book is passed through the rectangular loop and rests on the bottom thereof, and. the leaves as written upon are turned. over the top of the loop as before. In using either a flexibleor a stiffcovered book for notes written in ink the supporting frame is drawn out to a position such as shown in Fig. 7, the extensible connection of the wire portions 30 and 32 hereinbefore described permitting such. movement, and the cover and such of the leaves as have been written upon are passed through the loop and rest upon the wire portions 35. Then as each leaf is written upon it is turned up over the top of the loop, as shown at c, Fig. 7, allowed to rest thereon for a time sufficient to permit the ink to dry, and, before turning up the next leaf, bowed up as shown by the dotted lines 0, Fig. 7, and passed through the loop to rest upon the previously turned leaves.

As the leaves of the note book are used and witlulrawn from under the depressor rollers, said rollers are from time to time pushed downwardly so as to bear lightly upon the edges of the upper leaf. It has been found that when the rollers are pressed too heavily upon the leaves it is'diflieult to start the movement of the upper leaf in pushing the same past the depressors, as described, there being a tendency for more than one leaf to start bowing up above the depressors. It will be obvious that in using the holder it need not necessarily rest on a desk or table but may be held by the left hand of the writer, if standing, or rested upon the knee, if sitting.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a note book holder, a base plate, means for holding a note book thereon, and a hinged reversible supporting frame adapted to either sustain the cover and used leaves of the book or to support the base plate in easel-like position. 4

2. In a note book holder, a base plate, means for holding a note book thereon, an extensible supporting frame, means thereon for sustaining the cover and used leaves of the book, and means for holding a freshly inscribed leaf separate from the other used leaves.

3. In a note book holder, a sheet metal base plate, flanged edges thereon, tongues formed by punching portions from the body of the plate, and feet of non-abrasive material secured to the plate by clamping between the flanged edges and said tongues.

4. In a note book holder, a base plate, means thereon for holding the cover of a book, and frictionally retained leaf depressors adjustably held on the base plate and adapted to engage the edges of the eaves adjacent the bound side of the book to hold the leaves flat yet permit the same as used to be drawn out of engagement therewith.

5. In a note book holder the combination with a base plate and means for holding the cover of a book thereon of transversely extending rollers for engaging the edges of and depressing the leaves of the book adjacent the bound side thereof, rotatable plates having lingers thereon on which said transversely extending rollers are carried, and tongues with which said rotatable plates are held in frictional engagement, one of said tongues being in fixed position on the base plate, and

the other tongue being carried by a block adjustable transversely with relation to the base plate.

6. In a note book holder, a base plate, means thereon for holding one of .the covers of a book, adjustable frictionally retained leaf depressors adapted to engage the edges of the leaves of the book adj aeent the bound side thereof, a side guide carried by the base plate and engaging the sides of the leaves adjacent one of said leaf depressors, and an extensible supporting frame adapted to sustain one covenand the used leaves of the book, there being on said supporting frame means by which a freshly inscribed leaf may be held separate from the other used leaves.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK WILLIS lllOSlllllt.

Witnesses:

J. S. AuMs'rnoNe. D. O. BAnNriLL. 

